Actuator button



Patented Oct. 18, 1949 ACTUATOR BUTTON Frederick A. Niemann, Chicago, Ill., assignor tov Felt & Tarrant Manufacturing.y Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application April 23, 1945, Serial N0. 589,801

9 Claims.

rhis invention relates to improvements in actuator buttons and has for an object to provide a button, economical of manufacture, easy to attachv to andV detach from an actuated element such as a stern of an actuatable member of a calculating machine, typewriter, switch, or the like.

This and other objects will be more fully set forth and made apparent in the following specicatlonV and accompanying drawings of which Fig. 1 is a plan view of a portion of a computing machine showing one of my buttons applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof showing my actuator button andan associated stem in depressed position;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation drawn to larger scale of a button and a portion of an associated stem, the casing of the apparatus shown in Fig. l, being shownin1 section;

Fig. 4 is a vertical section drawn to larger scale, taken along. the lmet-4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section along the line 5 5 of Fig. 4';- and Fig. 6 is a vertical, sectionalview similar to that of Fig. 4-showing my improved button in detached relation to the stem.

Like numerals refer tollke elements throughout the drawing, in which, Ill indicates generally a` button embodying my invention, Il designates the'button head, and I2' the cap of plastic or other suitable material: sufficiently: resilient for gripping attachment to the head II. The numeral I3Y indicates generallyan actuatable stem which may-bean element of a calculating Inachine, as illustrated in the drawings, or of other devices in which my improved button may be satisfactorily incorporated.

The head II is provided With a vertical slot Ila extending from top to bottom in the form shown and with a peripheral groove II`b with which communicate the recess IId and cavity llc, the former being extended into communication with the slot Ilia, as illustrated in Figs. 4, 5, and 6, for example, with limiting shoulders I Im at the junction thereof.

The upper portion IIe of head Il is of reduced diameter and provided with peripheral grooves I If tapered inwardly from bottom to top as illustrated in Figs. 4 and 6.

The cap I2 is desirably provided with a slight concavity or depression I2a for linger engagement and on the bottom is provided with a cylindrical recess I2b very slightly less in diameter than the external diameter of the reduced portion Ile of head II. By selecting material for thecap l2 of slight inherent resilience, such as plastics which are now in common use, the cap maybe readily forced on the head l I as illustrated inFigs. 4-and Gland will be held in assembledrelationtherewith unless it be desired to disassemblelthe two parts. The grooves Ill serve to enhance the gripping engagement of the cap I2.

A- resilient split ring Mis removably mounted in the groove Ilb and has an inwardly bent extremity Illa constructed to enter the cavity IIc (see-Fig; 5).

Mounted in the recess Ild is the latching ball or member Iii-normally retained in such recess by the ring Il-v as illustrated. The construction and arrangement ofy the ball and ring are such that the latter will normally urge and yieldingly tend to hold the ball I5 at the inner end of recess I Id which-is shouldered at IIx, as stated, to limit the inwardmovement of such ball.

In the association illustrated in the accompanying drawing; Athe stem I3 projects through the top of casing 20, a small slot 20a being provided therein to permit movement of such stem relative to the casing. The stem is shouldered at i3d and provided-,with the upwardly extending reduced end |31) in which is provided a recess ISC having the .upwardly inclined upper side l3nt. The stem is likewise chamfered at the upper end at |36.

The stem, as illustrated, is of'at metal of slightly less thicknessvthan the width of slot Ila, and the Awidth ofthe'reduced upper end |31) is slightly less than the horizontal length of the slot Ila. Toassemble the button upon the stem E3, it is merelyA necessarytozinsertthe upper end of the stem in the bottom of the slot I la and thereafter push the button downwardly upon the stem until the latching ball I5 sets in the recess 30. The chamfered extremity I3e of the stem permits relatively easy displacement of the ball I5 during its attachment to the stem, and, when it is desired to remove the button from the stem, a slight pull will permit such detachment, as will be obvious.

The inclined upper side i3d of the recess I3c will ease this detachment.

With my improved button, it is a simple matter to attach or detach the button to permit lifting of the casing 20 from the enclosed mechanism so that a relatively small slot 20a in the casing may be utilized with lesser possibility of entrance of dust, dirt, and the like.

It will be apparent that my invention is susceptible of modification and improvement, and I do not wish to be restricted to the form shown and described except as limited thereto by the appended claims properly interpreted with respect to the prior art.

What I claim is:

1. The combination of an actuatable key stem for a business machine having a recess therein, and a button comprising a head constructed for mounting upon said stern, said head being provided with a latching member movably mounted therein and movable into the recess of said stem, and means yieldingly to hold said latching member in said recess.

2. An actuator button comprising a head having a slot therein, and a recess, a latching member movably mounted in said recess, and means yieldingly securing said latching member in said recess and projecting into said slot.

3. An actuator button comprising a head having a slot therein, and a recess, a latching member movably mounted in said recess, and means yieldingly securing said latching member in said recess and projecting into said slot, said means comprising a resilient ring.

4. An actuator button comprising a head having a slot therein, and a recess, a latching member movably mounted in said recess, and means yieldingly securing said latching member in said recess and projecting into said slot, said means comprising a resilient ring, said head being provided with a groove for said ring.

5. An actuator button comprising a head, said 1 head being provided with a slot therein and a groove surrounding said slot, said head being further provided with a recess extending between said groove and slot, and with a recess communicating with said groove, a latching member movably mounted in said rst recess, and a spring locking ring mounted in said groove and having a portion extending into said second recess, said ring being constructed and arranged yieldingly to urge said latching member into said slot.

6. In combination, a stem having a notch therein, an actuator button having a slot for receiving said stem and being provided with a recess communicating with said slot and alignable with said notch in said stem when in assembled relation thereto, latching means carried by said button in said recess, and means also carried by said button yieldingly to urge said latching member into said notch in said stem.

7. An actuator button comprising a head having peripheral grooves tapered inwardly from bottom to top, and a cap mounted thereon, said cap being recessed for engagement with said head and formed of material of sucient inherent resilience to permit forcing thereof` upon said head into gripping engagement with said peripheral grooves.

8. An actuator button comprising a head, said head being provided with a slot therein and a groove surrounding said slot and a recess extending between said groove and said slot and a second recess communicating with said groove, a latching member movably mounted in said first recess, and a split spring locking ring mounted in said groove and having one end thereof extending into said second recess, said ring engaging said latching member adjacent the other end thereof to urge the latching member into said slot, and said second recess being spaced circumferentially of said groove from said rst recess a distance necessary to insure the application of a predetermined force by said ring against said latching member.

9. In combination, a stem having a notch therein, an actuator button having a slot for receiving said stem and being provided with a recess ccmmunicating with said slot and alignable with said notch in said stem when the stem and button are in assembled relation, latching means carried by said button in said recess, said button having a second recess spaced circumferentially thereof from said first recess. and a split ring carried by said button and engaging said latching member yieldingly to urge the same into said notch in said stem, one end of said ring engaging in said second recess to prevent circumferential displacement of said ring to insure the application thereby of a predetermined force to said latching member for resisting displacement thereof from said notch.

FREDERICK A. NIEMANN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date L199,498 Barten June 13, 1893 569,196 Graham et al Oct. 13, 1896 722,324 Pitkin Mar. 10, 1903 980,547 McLaughlin Jan. 3, 1911 1,376,958 Mandelbaum et al. May 3, 1921 1,858,276 Miller May 17, 1932 2,210,562 Anderson Aug. 6, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 415,101 Germany 1925 

